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SMADC will post these events on its recently launched Buy Local Challenge web site. The site has resources and information related to the Challenge, including: links to county organizations that list places to buy local products; a roster of the state's agricultural marketing professionals; and sample menus that use local products. SMADC has been a prime force in developing the annual Challenge, which started in 2007 as an effort to call attention to the benefits of buying local for Maryland's economy and environment. The group promotes agricultural enterprises, land preservation and environmental resources in five counties: Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George's and St. Mary's. Arts Council celebrates recipients of artist grants this evening at BMA The Maryland State Arts Council honors the 107 recipients of its 2009 Individual Artist Awards (IAA), this evening, during an awards program and reception at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 6:30-8:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. DBED Deputy Secretary Dominick Murray will address the gathering and discuss how Maryland views individual artists as representatives of a creative class a group that injects vibrancy into the state's economy and its quality of life. Awarded artists, selected from a pool of 817 applicants, receive grants in the amount of $1,000, $3,000 or $6,000. Out-of-state judges used an anonymous process to review the work of the artists in seven categories: choreography; music composition; playwriting; poetry; crafts; photography; and sculpture. "The awards recognize the many talented artists in Maryland and the importance of artists to the vitality of our communities." said Scott Johnson, chair of the Arts Council. "These awards distinguish artistic excellence and remind us that the work of Maryland artists is important for the health of our economy." The annual IAA program has categories that alternate yearly. Awards in 2010 will be made for: dance (solo performance); fiction; media; music (solo performance); theater (solo performance); and visual arts (digital/electronic arts, painting, works on paper). Applications are available at the Arts Council's web site. DBED gets grant for Eastern Shore War of 1812 site The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program has awarded the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development a $40,000 grant for the completion of Phase I archeological assessment of Caulk's Field – one of the most well-preserved War of 1812 battlefields in Maryland. The Kent County site is where 170 American militiamen defeated 260 British troops on Aug. 31, 1814, following the burning of Washington, D.C. Among the casualties was Sir Peter Parker, a British Naval officer who was eulogized by his first cousin, poet Lord Byron. An evaluation of Caulk's Field will support the battlefield's nomination as a National Register of Historic Places site. "A listing in the Register is a logical next step toward the long-term stewardship of the privately-owned property," said Bill Pencek, acting deputy assistant secretary for the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. The Park Service has also awarded a $60,000 grant to the Maryland State Highway Administration for the interpretation and historical development of the site where the Battle of Bladensburg occurred on Aug. 24, 1814. Additionally, the Maryland Department of Planning will receive a $78,000 grant for a statewide project that identifies and evaluates naval battles in Maryland during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Documentary festival continues to rise in stature Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival completed its seventh annual run this week at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in downtown Silver Spring. Though final tabulations are not complete, festival officials said at least 25,000 people attended the eight-day event – a figure that is comparable or slightly ahead of last year's attendance. The festival screened 122 films from 58 countries, selected out of nearly 2,000 submissions. Sky Stiney, artistic director for the festival, said Silverdocs received expanded press coverage this year, an indication of the event's rising stature. John Hendricks, founder and chairman of Discovery Communications, noted that all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Feature Documentary this year played at the 2008 Silverdocs festival. Pro basketball star LeBron James appeared at the opening-night screening of More Than a Game, a film that documents the stories of five young players – including James – from Akron, Ohio. Tom Bernard, co-president and co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics was a keynote speaker at the international documentary conference, which runs concurrently with the festival.
Captain Pete Chambliss has been steady at the helm for the Maryland Tourism Office. Now, 37 years after joining the office, he's leaving June 30. Since 1992, he has been the assistant director for sales and marketing. Says Rich Gilbert, the office's senior manager for sales and marketing: "Pete's done it all." Following college where he studied photography, Chambliss spent a summer "taking pictures of pretty places around Maryland for the backs of maps" published by the State Highway Administration, he says. Tourism Monitor shows increase in tourism-tax revenue The Monitor details fiscal year-to-date sales and use tax revenues, as reported through April by the Maryland Comptroller's Office. Tourism-related tax codes increased by 10.9 percent over last year's figures, compared to a 5.8-percent gain for all sales tax categories representing a 88-percent higher rate of growth. In addition, traffic to the Maryland tourism web site visitmaryland.org continues to climb, with more than double the amount of unique visitors this April over last.
Sotterley Plantation plans July 4 concert Bethesda course hosts Tiger Woods event Take a survey about the Maryland Tourism Offices web site visitmaryland.org and youll have a chance to win one of four $50 American Express gift cards.
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